Pac-Man
Reviews Summary C+VG Issue 6 Atari is following the current trend of producing cartridges based on the most popular arcade games. The latest addition to be turned into video computer system form is 1981 success story, Packman. Due out in distributors' shops in April, this version sticks closely to the original concept. You operate a circular mouth-opening creature which speeds along the paths of a maze, sometimes referred to as a house. Littered along the paths are small dots, each one representing points, for the hungry Packman to consume. Other characters in the maze are ghost-like creatures which move out from a central square of the maze at regular intervals. These run around the corridors, sometimes chasing your gobble-man and sometimes with you in pursuit of them, if you have managed to eat an energy post. Successfully chasing and munching a ghost, helps the player to score bonus points. These are displayed on the screen where the action took place. And a fruit is displayed at the centre of the screen which can also be consumed for extra points. With every cleared screen a new fruit from the series, which is worth more points, appears within the labyrinth. There are three lives for your man to play with during the game, and as play progresses the number of ghosts increases, making your life more difficult. The game continues as long as you keep your lives without being devoured by the ghosts. When you clear the maze of all the dots, the screen flashes up a new one. Available from U.K. distributor Ingersoll this top of the range cartridge costs £29.95. Features Tips C+VG Issue 1 The "Ghosts" that inhabit the Mazeman type of arcade machine go by many names but, whatever you are invited to call them, most players find a few more names of their own. The machine itself varies in title from Pacman, Puckman or Picman to the more descriptive Mazeman. But whatever the name of the machine you have been cussing over, the tips to help you achieve a high score remain the same. Here are some hints to help you increase your fruit yield at the bottom of the screen. Firstly it is important to develop an opening strategy for the early "walls" (each cleared screen generates a new "wall"). Study the early movements of the ghosts and you will see that these only vary if you go very close to them. Experiment to find a path which will each time keep you clear of them for longest and finally lead you, with the ghosts in close pursuit, to a flashing dot. Good tips for this are to clear the bottom row as this is the easiest place to get trapped. You will only manage to do this in the first two walls. Then change your route for the third wall but still make sure you clear at least half of that bottom line. The ghosts speed up again for the fifth wall so a new opening strategy will be needed tor this one. Good opening gambits leave both the flashing dots at the bottom of the screen to last - insurance for the time you get caught with a half-finished wall. When you come around to those final few dots, be patient. Key areas of the screen here are the tunnel, through which you travel much faster than the Mazeman ghosts. If you can lead three through here it should provide enough time to tidy up the screen. Another important area is the network directly above the ghosts' base. With a cool head you can manoeuvre this part of the maze with ghosts in close attendance and still stay out of danger - there is also a possibility of swooping down to swallow a fruit when one appears. When you do find yourself trapped in a corner, (at the top and bottom of the screen the ghosts travel faster than you can) a violent change of direction will work wonders. If the position looks really hopeless a vigorous shake of the lever can confuse the ghosts and send them off in different directions. Remove drinks from on top of the machine when employing this tactic. Now let me give you some-thing to aim for. After a run of various fruits - worth more for each wall - a creature I can only describe as a "Galaxian" appears on the screen. This wall, when cleared, rewards you with an intriguing little display involving the red ghost. FLAW SHOW Two interesting little programming flaws can be found in the Mazeman game. If you persuade your friends to devote the money for a little experimentation you may be able to re-create them on a screen. It is possible to send an errant pair of eyes flitting around the area of screen just above the ghosts' base. This can be achieved, sometimes, if you catch a ghost just as he emerges from his base and eat him. This must be attempted early in a wall, by eating a flashing dot and then speeding to the exit of the ghosts' base, to consume the ghost as he bounces out. It is also possible to turn the ghosts bright orange. This often occurs when you eat a ghost just as he turns from a flashing blue consumable back to his normal colour. Of course, trying this automatically means you lost a life. STREET TALK A collection of machine slang or strange expressions overheard while watching people play the Mazeman variety of game. Complete with a likely interpretation of the meaning. *A monster munch - eating all four ghosts to score a 1,600 point bonus. *An expensive fruit - caught by a ghost after being tempted to eat a fruit. *Get them in the nest - trying to eat the ghosts while they are still inside their base (a rather pointless exercise as you can't get in). *Fangs in the backside job - escaping after a ghost seemed certain to catch you. 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